Adventurous Little Engines
Dear Friends, The Lower Valley Railway’s recently acquired two new engines. One of these is Joel, a little diesel who was broken beyond repair when we got him. After a terrible accident in the mine, Joel’s been completely rebuilt and has become a much more reliable engine. The other engine is Lewis. The military tank engine heard I was writing another book, and begged me not to put stories of him in. “It’ll damage my reputation!” he told me. But his stories were too good to pass up! The Author Maniac Mine Joel is a little brown diesel who works at the new coal mine near the valley. Every day, he goes deep into the mines and pulls out heavy hopper trucks filled with coal, and then shunts them on top of the chutes. There, the trucks are used to fill the Big Railway’s trucks waiting below, and they’re then taken all over the Island. Joel is very proud of his work, but his original owner had never taken good care of him. His engine often spluttered; he wasn’t as strong as he used to be, and he couldn’t go very fast anymore. Lewis, the military tank engine, would often stop by on his way back to the Base. He would often criticize the small diesel. “If you can’t make the effort to work,” he would say, “you might as well not work at all!” Joel was tired of Lewis, and always wondered how to pay him out. One day, the Little Controller came with an Inspector. They were going to make sure that all of the mine operations were going smoothly, and take notes on needed improvements. Joel let them ride in a coal truck, and took them into the mine. They went deep into the tunnels and took notes. After they went back outside, the two men examined Joel all over, from his wheels to his cab. They sighed and shook their heads. Joel was beginning to worry. At long last, they spoke to the mine’s Manager. “Your operations are good,” the Little Controller said, “but your engine is in terrible condition. We’d like to buy him, and give him a completely new shape.” Joel beamed from buffer to buffer. “Thank you, Sirs!” he tooted. “Thank you!” In the meantime, another engine would be coming to replace him. Joel was disappointed to see that they had loaned Lewis. Joel had to show Lewis around, and teach him how to do things. “It’s very dusty and dirty in there,” Joel was telling him. “And I’m sure you’ve never been down there before. You might need help.” “See here, private,” barked the big tank engine. “I don’t need an old scrapheap like you telling me how to do things. I can handle it on my own!” Joel was deeply offended. “How dare you!” he spluttered as he rolled away. But Lewis was right. The work came easily for him, and quite soon, the mine was bustling with activity once again. Joel was red in the face as he watched Lewis shunt the heavy hoppers onto the chutes with ease. “I’m better than him. I KNOW I am!” he said crossly to himself. “And I’ll prove it too!” While Lewis had puffed away to take on water, Joel bustled down into the mine and collected a long line of hopper trucks. His Driver was concerned. “Are you sure you can handle this?” he asked. “Of course!” Joel said indignantly, but he was wrong. They were far too heavy for him, so several trucks had to be uncoupled before he could finally pull away. Joel was more embarrassed than ever. The trucks were cross too. They had left their friends behind, and Joel was bashing and bumping them. “Pay him out! Pay him out!” they hissed to each other. Near the chutes, there is a tall hill, with a small junction just before the slope. Engines pulling hoppers behind them must remember to shunt the trucks into the siding first, and then push them slowly down the other side. This way, the engine isn’t trapped between the buffers and the trucks on top of the chute, and can safely leave to collect more trucks. Joel had done this many times, and should have remembered this. But he was still thinking of beating Lewis, and rattled right past the siding. “Wait, Joel! Wait!” shouted his Driver, and he reached for the brakes. But it was already too late. All at once, Joel realized where he was, and the trucks saw their chance. “Trash him! Bash him!” they shouted, and with a clatter and a roar, they pushed Joel down the slope. They rushed down as they reached the bottom, going faster and faster. “On! On!” laughed the trucks. “I’ve got to stop!” cried Joel. His Driver tried desperately to apply the brakes, but it was no use. He jumped clear and watched in horror as Joel and his train raced onto the chute. Underneath, Misaki had a full train of coal trucks, and was preparing to leave. Just then, she heard Joel screeching above her. “What in the…?” she started to say, but she never finished. There was a smash – Joel crashed through the buffers and tumbled down. With a crunch, he landed right into one of Misaki’s trucks. His engine was wrecked, and he was covered all over in black coal dust. Misaki was horrified, but the trucks where hooting with laughter. It wasn’t long before the Little Controller arrived. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Joel. “You were about to be rebuilt anyway!” Joel could only cough up black dust in reply. “Now Misaki,” the Little Controller went on,” could you bring him to the Works?” “Of course, Sir,” Misaki said. “I’ve got plenty of time.” From above, Joel could hear Lewis whistling at him. “Don’t you worry, little Joel!” he said. “I’ll take good care of things while you’re away!” Joel felt a sinking feeling of shame go through him. He groaned miserably as Misaki pulled him away. Lewis and the Ghost Lewis worked hard in the mine, and the workmen were proud of him. Lewis’s only complaint was Joel’s shed. It was rotting away and filled with holes. “A proud and powerful engine like me shouldn’t be sleeping in a shack like this!” he would snort. So sometimes, when he finished work early, he would puff away to the main narrow gauge sheds. The other engines didn’t mind, as long as he kept quiet. One of these nights, Edward Mann was going to tell a story. “He tells the best stories,” commented Smudger to Lewis. “Arh,” grunted Lewis. “It’d better be good, or I’ll just tell my own. Why, at the base, we—” “Shhh!” Candy hissed crossly, and then Edward Mann began. “Once, just off the coast, there was a special engine built with underwater rails, and long legs so he can go through the water. Everybody thought he looked very weird, and they all called him, ‘The Spider Tram’. “The tram hated the cold water, so he would always try to spoil it for his passengers. He would slow down and even stall in deep water, and would sometimes rattle and shake. His Driver knew something was up, and told him to behave himself. “But the Spider Tram never learned sense. He would look out at the main line and ask himself, ‘Why can’t I run on normal rails, like any other engine?’ “One night, there was a terrible storm, the worst the island has ever seen. The winds were strong, and they damaged the shore station. “The tram was chained to the platform, and was sure he’d be fine. Suddenly, the chain snapped, and he started to roll down right towards the sea! The winds were too strong, and he fell over into the murky water. “He wasn’t badly hurt, but the repairs for him and the station were so expensive that they had no money left to run the railway, and he was soon scrapped.” The little engines gulped. “Nowadays,” Edward Mann finished, “the fishermen will tell you than when the moon is full, you can see his ghost, slowly crawling along the water…” Lewis broke the silence that followed. “That was the worst story ever!” he said crossly. The other engines didn’t agree. Candy was shaken. “I’m going down the coast tonight,” she shivered. “I hope I don’t see it…” Just as she trundled away, Lewis’s driver came up to him. “Come along, Lewis,” he said. “You’re still in steam, so the Little Controller wants you to help out.” Lewis did not make the trip pleasant for Candy. He would let her puff ahead for a little while, and then rush alongside her, whistling loudly. “BOO!” he shouted. “Don’t be frightened, young lady!” Candy gritted her teeth; with Lewis, she was more furious than scared. The moon was slowly rising along the coast. As Lewis stopped to take on coal, Candy hurried ahead and arrived at the lighthouse construction site. As she shunted the trucks into their siding, she saw something massive, with four long legs, looming against the night sky. She squealed in shock, but her Driver laughed and reassured her. “Don’t worry!” he said. “That’s just the support beams for the new lighthouse! It’s made of metal instead of stone, see?” Candy was relieved. Just before leaving, she thought of something. “Can we play a trick on Lewis?” she asked her Driver. They told the workmen about Lewis, and they agreed to help out. They were about to go home, but playing a quick joke seemed like much more fun! Candy hid in a siding as Lewis rattled past, his trucks in front of him now. Without Candy, he looked a little spooked. “Hello?” he called out. “Anybody there?” There was no response. Lewis quietly shunted the trucks into a siding. He suddenly saw steam rising next to him. He turned his gaze and saw something massive and tall, surrounded by steam. Suddenly, there was a flash of light around it, and through the smoke, he could see four tall legs reaching out from the ocean. Lewis’s eyes widened. “I am NOT seeing this.” he gulped. “WHOO!” Candy howled behind him. “I’m coming to get you, Lewis!” Lewis yelped and started to reverse. “GHOST! GHOST!” he screeched as he sped down the curve and out of sight. Candy and her driver thanked the workmen, and then headed home. Lewis wasn’t at the shed, so Candy told all of the other engines what just happened. The next morning, she puffed to the coal mine to collect some trucks. Lewis was there. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night, and jolted when she whistled cheerfully at him. “Hey Lewis!” she tooted. “Where’d you go last night?” “Ah, uh,” Lewis muttered. “I didn’t want to delay work here, so I, erm, slept here. Poor you, probably out and scared by that, uh, silly story.” “Silly indeed!” Candy said with a chuckle. “It’s too bad you didn’t come back. We missed your company!” And with a triumphant laugh, Candy hurried away with her train. Little Rescue Lewis soon found out about Candy’s joke, and this put him in a terrible mood. Kudo, who Lewis had rescued, couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Why should I work where I get no respect?” Lewis told him crossly one day. “It’s so frustrating – I don’t see a point to it anymore!” “Respect is earned, not given,” Kudo replied. “Perhaps if you stopped demeaning the other engines, they’ll come to look up to you.” “I don’t demean others!” Lewis snapped. “I just show that I’m superior to them.” Kudo rolled his eyes and puffed away with his trucks. The following morning, Lewis was woken up early. “They need you back at the Base right away,” his Driver told him. “They’re cleaning up for an inspection this evening.” “What about the mine?” Lewis asked, opening a sleepy eye. “Who’s going to look after it while I’m away?” “The Little Controller’s sending another engine to handle it,” his Driver said. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.” “Maybe I should show him around,” Lewis said, “and make sure he…wait, what am I saying? Who cares about this old mine? Let’s get out of here!” Lewis hurried away to the Base. But all the way there, he couldn’t help but think of the mine. He couldn’t understand what was happening to him. At the base, everybody was busy organizing and cleaning up. Several trucks were already loaded with wastes, so Lewis quickly started shunting them away. He spent all morning moving waste away and bringing supplies, and by noon, he was exhausted. As he rested in a siding, the truck Daichi growled alongside. “Did you notice how much less track there is?” he said slyly. “They’re pulling up your rails, rustbucket! After today, they’ll have no more use for you, and you’ll be sent away for scrap.” Lewis was flabbergasted. “Rubbish!” he snorted crossly. “Ah, but it’s true!” Daichi went on. “And don’t worry, once you’re gone, I’ll take great care of this place!” He sped off back to work. It was only an hour until the inspection, and Lewis was at wit’s end with Daichi. All day, the truck had been teasing and taunting him, and Lewis was looking forward to finishing work. Just then, a workman from the mine arrived, and spoke to Lewis’s Driver. “There’s a problem at the mine,” the Driver told Lewis. “Smudger is stuck in one of the tunnels. Do you think you can rescue him?” Daichi rolled alongside. “What, are you abandoning us?” Daichi growled. “Nothing short of what I’d expect from you, rustbucket.” Lewis had enough. “Stick it up your tailpipe! I’m out of here!” And with that, he hurried away to the mine, leaving Daichi at a loss for words. At the mine, they were pleased to see Lewis back. “Please, hurry and help him!” they told him. Lewis bravely plunged into the mine. They found Smudger deep in one of the narrower of the tunnels. His funnel had hit a support beam above him, and he was too terrified to move, thinking the tunnel would collapse if he did. Lewis stared at him. “How’d you get down there?” he shouted crossly. “Some trucks rolled down the tunnel,” Smudger said, “and I thought I could get them…” Lewis sighed. “Let’s get you out of here before something else goes wrong,” he grunted. Slowly, Lewis advanced toward Smudger, and his Driver coupled them up. Above them, the mine rumbled. Smudger looked even more nervous now. “Careful…” Lewis said cautiously. He slowly began to advance backwards, gently pulling Smudger forward. Smudger could feel the tunnel beginning to cave in on top of him. He shut his eyes, bracing himself. Lewis scowled. “Ready?” he shouted. “One…two…” Before he could even say “three”, he yanked Smudger backwards as hard and as fast as his wheels could pull. Smudger was pulled forward just as the tunnel collapsed behind him. Where there were once rails was now a massive pile of coal and dirt. Lewis and Smudger hurried out of the mine and into the sunlight. Thankfully the ruined tunnel didn’t cause much damage and the structure of the mine wasn’t compromised, but they closed off the tunnel for safety precautions. Smudger and Lewis were looked over to make sure they weren’t hurt. Smudger was shaken but very relieved. “Thank you, Lewis,” he said with a weary smile. “I can’t imagine how you did it.” “It was nothing,” Lewis said. He was about to head back to the Base, but thinking of Daichi waiting there for him, he changed his mind. “I…think I’ll stay here for a bit,” he said. “You know, show you how to do the work, and all. Can’t have accidents like that again, can we?” And with that, the two engines hurried away to find some trucks. Joel's Daring Deed Joel’s rebuild was finally complete. He was now bigger and stronger, given two extra wheels in front, and was repainted a rich blue. “We use the color blue to reflect change and progression,” the Little Controller said kindly. “We hope you like it.” “Are you kidding? I love it!” Joel said, beaming from buffer to buffer. “I feel better than I’ve had in years!” Just then, No. 12 arrived with a flatbed to take Joel away. “Remember,” the Little Controller said, “since you’re a much more reliable engine now, don’t be afraid to help out wherever you’re needed.” “Yes, Sir,” Joel said, and he cheerfully waited to be loaded onto the truck. Joel stayed at the main sheds that night. The other little engines didn’t look as pleased as he did. “It’ll be like what happened to Hiro,” Candy muttered darkly. “First they bring in one diesel, then another, and then we’re all lined up ready for scrap.” Joel was mortified. “I’d never do anything like that!” he said, but Candy wouldn’t listen. Smudger didn’t want to agree with her, but Joel could see that he was worried too. “What’s worse,” Edward Mann said, “they might be scrapping Lewis soon. The military wasn’t happy that he ran off like that.” Candy and Joel were indifferent, but the other engines looked worried. “He saved me,” Kudo said sadly. “We should at least save him in return.” Joel had an idea to gain the other engines’ trust. As the other engines went to sleep, he spoke quietly to his driver. “Let’s at least bring Lewis here, so they can’t scrap him before the Little Controller hears about him,” he whispered. His Driver thought it over, and in the morning, he returned to find Joel wide awake. “We’ll do it,” he said, “But we’ve got to be careful.” Slowly, Joel advanced quietly out of the shed, and headed down the line. After speaking to the signalman about the situation, they rumbled away to save Lewis. They hurried through the valley line, and then plunged into the tunnel. They passed the mine and finally came to a stop just outside the Base. It was unguarded and quiet, so Joel bravely rolled forward. Ahead of him, he could see a shed, with the back of Lewis’s cab barely poking out of the back. His Driver rolled his eyes. “Such poor security,” he grumbled to himself. Very slowly, Joel positioned himself behind Lewis, and was coupled up. His Driver looked around every few seconds, to make sure nobody had seen them. He then headed back into Joel’s cab. Just as Joel was pulling away, Lewis woke up. “What in blazes?!” he snapped crossly. “What’s going on here?!” “Shush!” Joel snapped. “We’re rescuing you!” But Lewis paid no attention. “INTRUDER! INTRUDER!” he yelled as loud as he could. “CRIMINALS! THIEVES!” Alarms were suddenly blaring. Joel yelped and advanced as fast out of the Base as quickly as his wheels could carry him. “Idiot!” he snapped furiously. “It’s me, Joel! I’m saving you from—” Just then, there was a rattle and a roar, and Daichi appeared in front of them. “I’ve got you, scum!” he was screaming. “How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!” Joel was horrified. “Great, now what?!” he shouted at his Driver. “We’ll think of something!” his Driver replied as they plunged into the tunnel and sped into the valley. Daichi didn’t hesitate to drive on the rails in pursuit. “We’re almost there!” Joel shouted. “Don’t stop now!” They left the valley line and sped down the line leading to the Main Station. They rattled past farms and houses, and big fields filled with long grass and flowers. Daichi was driving alongside them on the dirt path. He was getting closer and closer to Joel, his eyes gleaming and a wicked grin on his face. “I’ve got you, criminal scum!” he shouted. But the Driver wasn’t paying attention. Just ahead of Daichi was a deep puddle of mud, obscured by the tall grass. Daichi’s Driver noticed it too late, and applied the brakes just before Daichi fell forward right into the muddy pit. “HAHA!” laughed Lewis triumphantly. “Who’s the rustbucket now?!” And the two engines sped around the bend and out of sight. Joel finally pulled into the Main Station with a loud screech. Standing on the platform was the Little Controller with the Representative. “Well! What’s all this?” the Little Controller said. “Sir!” gasped Joel breathlessly. “They were…they were going to….” “By the way,” the Little Controller interrupted, “We’ve just purchased Lewis from the Mainland. He’ll be one of our own in no time. Thanks for bringing him here so quickly, I was going to ask you to bring him here later.” He and the Representative walked away. Joel and Lewis stared blankly into space before both bursting out in exhausted laughter.